Coffee with a Cause - A new spin on PR & Charity events

Throughout my studies of PR at university, I had a fair knowledge that a lot of work and preparation goes into event planning. However, when theory turns into real life practice, only then did I realize how much effort is really required to run a successful charity event. More specifically, one that reaches its donation goal and increases awareness for said organization (Cancer Support WA).

The PR/events/marketing team is extremely busy working on their “Meeting of The Minds – Coffee for a cause” event. For those of you who aren’t aware, it’s a cocktail party and celebrity auction occurring in June to raise funds and awareness for Cancer Support WA.

I was assigned the task of searching for potential alcohol sponsors for the event. We were lucky enough to gain sponsorship from Amelia Park Wines in Margaret River. In addition to this, I researched numerous FREE WA news and event sites, who we could potentially target with promotional material for Meeting of The Minds (ie: ticket giveaways, media releases).

I placed all potential contacts on a professional excel list and sent it to our Marketing Coordinator, Lisa. I look forward to potentially writing media releases or distributing PR material throughout Perth.

If you click the link below, you will find the official CSWA Facebook page. There will be a promotional video for the event starring Channel 10 news reporter Narelda Jacobs

https://www.facebook.com/meetingofthemindsPerth

This week I travelled through the suburbs of Cottesloe, Claremont, Subiaco, Leederville, Mt Lawley and Perth City, distributing flyers to companies for our upcoming event: “Meeting of the Minds- Coffee for a Cause.” I was accompanied by a fellow CSWA PR/marketing volunteer, Lauren.

The main companies that expressed the highest interest in this event were cafes (particularly with trade free coffee) and health food stores, as their companies are based primarily on health and wellbeing. We successfully handed out all of the flyers. This was good experience for me as I was given the opportunity to revert to “traditional” PR techniques, minus the use of modern technology.

It definitely reinforced in my mind the importance of communication skills, networking and maintaining strong professional relationships with clients/stakeholders.  

Natasha Scekic 15498315 

Creativity Galore! PR and Marketing

Whilst in a professional working atmosphere, I’ve learnt to flex my creative muscle in more ways than one. I’ve been introduced to so many new programs which I’d never heard of throughout my study of Public Relations and Marketing.

 These programs consist of the following:

·         Mailchimp

·         CiviCRM

·         Adobe Acrobat and InDesign

Mailchimp and CIVICRM are our primary online databases for storing contacts, such as sponsors/clients of Cancer Support WA. This is so we can keep track of our supporters and keep in regular contact via a well organised system.

I’ve also been given the shot at a more hands on approach to Charity Events. I was assigned to search for potential sponsors for an upcoming fundraising event called “Meetings of the Minds – Coffee for a Cause.” It’s a cocktail party and celebrity auction occurring in June to raise funds and awareness for Cancer Support WA.

 

I used a contact list of event participants I made for a previous task as point of reference. I chose the sponsors who I felt were most relevant to the event. This made me feel more involved in the process of event planning and the skill of networking; which is paramount to maintaining longevity in a career in the PR/media industry.

Here is a screenshot of the promotional poster for the event on our website: http://www.perthmeetingoftheminds.com/

So far I feel this internship has equipped me with a larger skill set and informed me of how much variety is involved in the PR industry. No day is ever the same; there is always a new fundraising event, marketing campaign or admin task to work on. It requires full cooperation of a team, combining their clerical and PR/media relations skills to achieve the organisation’s goals.

Natasha Scekic 15498315